5 students ran away from Summit Academy over the weekend

June 17, 2019News Extra

Authorities are searching for up to four boys who ran away from the Summit Academy this weekend.

At least one of the five out-of-county boys who left the reform school on Herman Road in Summit Township has been caught.

State police said they were notified at 11:44 p.m. Saturday that two boys — a 16-year-old from Kittanning and a 17-year-old from Gallitzin, Cambria County — had fled the facility.

The next day, three more boys — a 16-year-old from Indiana, Pa., a 17-year-old from Greencastle, Franklin County, and a 17-year-old from Enola, Cumberland County — turned up missing.

The private school — which is for court adjudicated youth in grades nine through 12 — notified police at 11:45 p.m. Sunday.

One of the youths was captured Monday morning in Pittsburgh, police said.

All of the boys still being sought are listed as runaways, not escapees, police said, because they were not placed there for criminal matters. Rather, they are considered dependents, or wards of the state.

The designation could include children with no family or those in the custody of a public child welfare agency, like Children and Youth Services.

All five students are no longer missing, Dick Roberts, spokesman for Summit Academy, said in a text received at 1:44 p.m. today.

He said two students left the facility at 12 a.m. Saturday and three left at 10:40 p.m. Sunday.

“They were found within an hour of each other,” the text said. “Summit is working to determine next step for students.”

It was not known if Summit Academy has passed on the information to police as the Eagle has not been able to confirm this statement, at this time, with police.

Further updates to this situation will appear in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.

Story was updated at 2:30 p.m. June 17 to include a statement from a spokesman for Summit Academy provided to us after online publication.